Cons

A hyper-stylized 2D puzzler/platform-hopper, Exit stars Mr. ESC, a two-tone, fedora-wearing escape-artist-for-hire. Using only his wits and acrobatic abilities, Mr. ESC charges into disaster areas to rescue trapped victims, sloggingthrough rubble, fire and water.Getting his charges to safety takesjumping, climbing and the creative use of ropes, fire extinguishers and whatever else the designers saw fit to leave lying around.

Exit plays like a 2D Tomb Raider (or the original Prince of Persia, if you remember it), with plenty of leaping across chasms and climbing up ledges. Your progress through the 100 stylized levels is blocked by long drops, electrified floors and stacked crates, among other obstacles.Getting past them involves careful thought, perfect timing and the help of the people Mr. ESC rescues. And whilemaneuvering Mr. ESC around ischallenging enough, it's nothing compared to shepherding disaster victims.

Each level has a few of these victims, and you'll usually need to save them all if Mr. ESC is going to earn his pay. They come in four varieties: athletic Young People, who are relatively self-sufficient and nearly as capable as Mr. ESC; big fat Adults, who move slowly and need help getting over tall obstacles, but can move heavy objects; Kids, who can squeeze into tight spaces; and Patients, who need to be carried around on someone's back or a stretcher (but who come in handy for keeping pressure-sensitive doors open). All victims can usually be found sitting around crying until youtouch them, at which point they'll follow you around and obey simple commands.

Commanding them is easy; while Mr. ESC moves with the d-pad, touching the analog stick brings up a mouse-style cursor. Just click on the person you want to order around, click on whatever it is you want them to interact with, and they'll push crates, use tools to clear hazards or just run wherever you tell them to. They come in handy for carrying tools and Patients, and you'll often need to work in tandem with them, helping them to pushstacks of cratesor just ordering them to hold doors open.

More Info

Genre

Puzzle

Description

Charging into disasters with nothing but a hat and some acrobatic skills, players will need to find trapped civilians and rush them to the exit.

Platform

PSP, DS

US censor rating

Everyone

UK censor rating

7+

Release date

14 February 2006 (US), 31 March 2006 (UK)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.